Student Design Portfolio: SPEED

Instructions

The steps in this Design Portfolio will help you complete your MAGLEV vehicle design. Writing down
what you did or found in each step will help you learn from your work. It will also help the contest
judges understand your design approach.

The design process begins with a Problem Statement. Here you should state exactly what your design is trying
to accomplish. Next, under Investigation, list the questions you will have to answer to come up with a successful
design. The remaining steps take you through the rest of the design process. As you complete your design, fill in
your responses to each step. You may add tables, charts, drawings or anything else you think will help you and your
readers understand what you did.

On the day of the contest, you must hand your completed Design Portfolio
to the judge.

Your Portfolio will become the property of BNL.

**Please include your name on every page you attach to this Portfolio and
make sure your name is on your vehicle**

1) Student Name: ___________________________________________

2) School Name: ____________________________________________

3) School Address: __________________________________________

__________________________________________

4) Grade: ___________

5) Teacher Name: __________________________________________

6) Teacher e-mail address: ___________________________________

7) Contest Category:

Wind
Powered
Self-propelled
Electrified Track
Gravity

8) Why did you choose this MAGLEV category?

9) Problem Statement: The MAGLEV Challenge

Design and construct a MagLev vehicle using the propulsion category of your
choice. Your vehicle must travel the entire length of the track in the shortest
time possible. For the Gravity category, your vehicle must have the most
cost-effective combination of speed,passenger capacity, and
cost as signified by the highest Figure of Merit (FOM).

10) Investigation:

a) What information do you need before you start?

b) List questions which must be answered to create a
successful vehicle.

c) Can some answers be found by simple tests? Give examples.

11) Brainstorming for Solutions:

Write about the different designs you thought of using. For example, what
materials it could be made from, the number of magnets, length, height, how to
attach parts, etc. (Sketch you ideas on a separate piece of paper, and attach it
to this Design Portfolio).

12) Optimum Design:

Describe what you decided would be the best vehicle design, and describe the
reasons for deciding on this design instead of the others you had thought of.

13) Testing and Analysis:

a) What tests did you perform to learn how
well your first design worked?

b) Describe any problems that you found with your
vehicle and what changes you made to solve them.
(Design sketches, performance
charts and graphs are very helpful. Attach any to this Design Portfolio).